Rosemary chicken in bacon

Rosemary chicken in bacon is flavourful and rich and is very easy to prepare. The chicken breasts are stuffed with a slice of Emmenthal cheese, Dijon mustard and a sprig of fresh rosemary, wrapped with two slices of bacon or pancetta. If you prefer to use a different cheese, ricotta, brie, camembert and fresh parmesan all marry well with the flavours.

A friend of mine inspired me to pair rosemary with chicken and I was surprised at how delicious rosemary and chicken are when they are cooked together. In this recipe I placed a sprig of rosemary inside the chicken breast with the cheese so that the flavours infused the whole breast. If you prefer a subtler flavour, wrap the sprig inside the bacon and then remove it before eating.

If you can’t be bothered to stuff the chicken, simply wrap the breasts in bacon and enjoy the unadulterated version. They are mouth-wateringly delicious.

I served rosemary chicken in bacon with a spinach and watercress salad and a portion of my zesty lemon-roasted new potatoes with roasted cherry tomatoes.

Rosemary chicken in bacon

Serves 4 as a main course

4 x chicken breasts

8 x slices of bacon or pancetta

4 sprigs of rosemary

4 slices of your favourite cheese

2 tsps of Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

How to prepare Rosemary Chicken in Bacon

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4.

Slice each chicken breast lengthways and smooth half a teaspoon of Dijon mustard inside. Add a slice of your favourite cheese such as Emmenthal, Brie, Camembert or Parmesan and place a sprig of rosemary over the top of the cheese and close the breast.

For a subtler rosemary flavour, add the sprig to the top of the breast while you wrap it in bacon.

Wrap the chicken breasts with two slices of bacon and place on a baking tray in the center of the oven. Bake for approximately 50 minutes, or until the bacon has browned.

Remove from the oven and serve with a crisp salad. I served rosemary chicken in bacon with my zesty lemon-roasted potatoes and roasted cherry tomatoes, watercress and baby spinach leaves topped with avocado and drizzled with balsamic vinegar. It was totally delicious I can’t wait to eat it again!